Tag Archives: egg

I had a knee op a few weeks ago. It turned out to be more of an emotional trauma than a physical ordeal. My frustration levels were sky high. The inability to just stand up and make a cup of coffee; to climb in your car to go and buy a loaf of bread or the to simply walk to the kitchen to give the dogs a biscuit treat tested my patience on almost every level. Thank goodness though all of that seems behind me now. My knee is on the mend and I have a new lease on life – and thankfully, free from the nagging pain of previous months.

During me recouperation, my dear husband had to put up with a lot – and yes, he really looked after me. He made me pasta with creamy blue cheese dressing, herbed chicken and whatever he could rustle up from a fridge that had not been stocked for weeks. He then made me this fantastic breakfast: Potato chip rösti with a baked egg. It was such a clever way to recycle leftover chips (slap chips) that invariably taste horrible the next day. Rick gathered up the leftover chips, added some fresh ingredients and seasoned this – the result? A rather quirky yet crispy and delicious rösti.

Press the leftover chips with the back of a fork into smaller pieces. Stir in the chopped onion and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Heat a generous chunk of butter and some olive oil in a non-stick pan. With the back of the spoon press the potato mixture in the pan until it is compact. Fry over medium heat until golden brown on one side, turn carefully and cook until golden on the other side too. Fry an egg and serve the egg on top of the chip-rösti.

During South Africa’s first ever live televised cook along this morning on Expresso {SABC3}, I made these delicious savoury scones {recipe below}. While Expresso’s Katelyn and Zola were cooking in the studio, a few of us {including food24 editor Caro de Waal!} were cooking along in our kitchens. So, how does it work? It’s very simple – get the recipe on the Expresso website, purchase the necessary ingredients and on the day of the cook along switch on your TV and let the cooking, excitement and fun begin! It was delightful to know that I wasn’t the only one with flour all over my hair, and it was great to hear the tips and instructions straight from the telly. I encourage you to join us in the future; it’s great fun! Keep an eye on my twitter or facebook for the next cook along.

“It took me 2.5 hours at 62°C – sitting by my stove with an electronic thermometer in hand to ensure that the water temperature remained constant. I was like a mother hen watching over her hatching eggs! It took some time and some doing but it was worth every single minute. The thick golden yellow yolk that oozed out of this perfectly boiled eggs was like liquid gold … and something you just have to try once in your life”

The other day my dear friend Nina Timm surprised me with a gift of two beautiful and bountiful goose eggs. Eggs are a symbol of birth, of life – and these eggs were so fulsome and so perfect. It reminded me of the wonders that surround us but it also reminded me of Aesop’s fable of …

… The goose that laid the golden eggs
A man and his wife owned a very special goose. Every day the goose would lay a golden egg, which made the couple very rich.
“Just think,” said the man’s wife, “If we could have all the golden eggs that are inside the goose, we could be richer much faster.”
“You’re right,” said her husband, “We wouldn’t have to wait for the goose to lay her egg every day.”
So, the couple killed the goose and cut her open, only to find that she was just like every other goose. She had no golden eggs inside of her at all, and they had no more golden eggs.

So what is the moral of this little tale? Riches do not lie in earthly things nor in the greed for more riches … Our riches are within and in each passing moment we have the opportunity to hold dear the real riches of this world like family, friendships, love and hope. We need to treasure it all …

But now let’s get back to recipe….the sun was out and spring was in the air…what was I going to do with these gorgeous goose eggs?

I went to Sat Bains for inspiration – he was the one who took the classic egg, ham and pea combination to a whole new level by using the sous vide method to cook duck eggs and to serve them with a pea sorbet.

I was determined to sous vide these two golden beauties and serve them on a nest of crushed minted peas and prosciutto with some little toasts. I do not have one of those fancy and very expensive sous vide water baths and I could not find a recipe … so I had to improvise. With a pot of hot water covering my eggs – it took me 2.5 hours at 62°C – sitting by my stove with an electronic thermometer in hand to ensure that the water temperature remained constant. I added cold water when the temperature went up. It took some time and some doing but it was worth every single minute. The thick golden yellow yolk that oozed out of this perfectly boiled eggs was like liquid gold …and something you just have to try once in your life. The perfect combination of the sweet peas and then the salty prosciutto and a scoop of the golden yolk on a crispy cut of toast are just absolutely from another planet. Of course, the dish was not complete without a sprinkle of salt and freshly grounded white pepper.

Thank you Nina and thank you Mrs Goose for bringing some rays of golden sunshine to my plate.

goose egg on a crushed-minted-pea-prosciutto-nest . the story of my golden sous vide goose egg

For the goose eggs – heat the pot with water to 62°C and then add the eggs. Keep it on the lowest heat level on your stove and try and keep the temperature constant for 2.5 hours. You just have to stand by the stove, check the thermometer and add a bit of cold water to bring the temperature down. When done, put the eggs aside to cool a bit. Then peel very carefully. The shell is very hard and thick and it’s not so easy. The outside of the white is going to fall away and you will sit with this beautiful thin white layer and the golden yolk.

For the peas – cook the peas for about 3 minutes. Add the salt, butter, mint and sugar give it a good stir and then crush.

To assemble - divide the peas in half and divide onto two plates. Add a slice of prosciutto on each nest and then add the egg. Sprinkle with white pepper and some salt - then add another slice of prosciutto and round it off with a little toast.

My favourite Saturday morning breakfast is a soft poached egg on whole wheat toast with a bit of wild rocket out of my garden and a pinch of Maldon salt. When you cut into that egg and the yellow slowly ooze onto the bread … it is like early morning sunshine on my plate! What I want to share with you today is not a specific recipe on how to poach the perfect egg but a few interesting facts and tips that might help you along the way. I am sure you will know most of them but one or two of these pointers are quite interesting.
1. The fresher the egg, the easier the poach – fresh eggs hold together better when slipped into the simmering water.
2. To test to see whether an egg is fresh – put the egg into a bowl of water. A very fresh egg will immediately sink to the bottom and lie flat on its side – an old egg will float.
3. The eggs must preferably be room temperature.
4. Remember to add a bit of vinegar to the simmering water – it helps hold the egg together.
5. The water must be simmering not boiling.
6. Now, my best tip is to slowly submerse the whole egg with shell and all in the hot simmering water for 10 seconds before you break it. This ensures the whites on the outside of the egg hold together better during poaching.
7. Before breaking the egg into your simmering pot of water, use a spoon and give the water a stir so that it forms a little bit of a whirlpool…the centrifugal motion will pull the egg together when you slide it into the water.
8. When you break the egg break it into a saucer or cup first – be careful not to break the yolk and then simply slide the egg off the saucer or cup into the centre of the whirling water.
9. How long to poach the egg? Here’s a quirky snippet I read…when you put your bread in to toast put your egg in to poach…when your toast pops out of the toaster…your poached egg should be ready to be removed from the pot. Otherwise poach it for 3-5 minutes until cooked.
10. When done scoop out with slotted spoon or spatula onto a paper towel to dry excess water from the now poached egg.

It’s quick but fabulous when poached to perfection… decadent and yummy all at the same time!

Don’t forget too that a poached egg on top of a rocket + bacon salad makes for a wonderful salad option just ever so slightly out of the ordinary.

When I arrived at home on Friday night there was a huge red gift on my kitchen table from my loving husband. It was a huge, huge bag of red chillies – do you perhaps think he wanted to tell me something? Anyway, seeing these beautiful chillies took me back to Thailand – and my dear friend Pierre (kitchenbabble.com) in Bangkok. In 2010 I was privileged enough to spend a week in Bangkok where we shared the most wonderful times preparing all sorts of Thai dishes and specialities … but back to the chillies … chillies can be found in nearly every Thai dish or element of Thai cuisine – and rightfully so. I left Bangkok with the most fantastic memories and loads of recipes … but this one – is my ultimate favourite – I gave the Grapua Moo Sub a bit of a twist. Its easy to make and soooo tasty! Just so you know though … I added a bit of lemon juice and black pepper to the dish. Its heaven when that yellow of the egg breaks and spills over the cooked mince and rice.